Beauty Sleep
by il0vesunfl0wers
Summary: Unable to sleep, Ivy reflects on recent events... We need more Ravy.


We need more Ravy. Nuff said.

Mild spoilers up to I think BMS. Thanks to Frogscookie for looking over the rough draft, and said "this pulpy mass" just wasn't romantic. *gasp* I got too excited to post this that I didn't wait to get another once over. So I apologize for any mistakes that may cause any vexation. [Edit: Okay, I made some corrections. Thanks to terpsichorean for your suggestions!] In case there are [still] any formatting glitches – you can blame FFN for that. =P

Disclaimer: The Hollows series and characters property of Kim Harrison. Not for profit, just amusement and a desperate cry for some Ravy, dammit.

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><p><strong>Beauty Sleep<strong>

By Athena, aka il0vesunfl0wers

I couldn't sleep.

No matter how much my aching body begged and pleaded, my mind and heart had other ideas, what with _her_ in my bed. I had waited for what seemed like eternity for this very moment. There was just no way I could pass up this chance to watch her sleep.

How sweet it was to have her arms surrounding me, her body molded against my back as if we were two perfectly shaped puzzle pieces. Even considering how much we clashed, somehow I had known that we'd be perfect together, which, despite how hopelessly unrequited my feelings were for the longest time, gave me a spark of hope to not give up entirely.

Her soft breasts rose and fell exquisitely against my back. For a brief moment her arms squeezed me, then they loosened as she let out a deep sigh. I couldn't resist. I turned around as gently as I could so as not to wake her.

She's so, _so _beautiful. I have always thought so, yet somehow she doubted herself.

"Why me?" she had asked me earlier. "Out of all the countless women out there who have surely thrown themselves at you, women far more blessed than I am, why me? You could have anyone you want, male or female. Though I hate to admit it, even Glenn is a better choice. I'm such a huge pain in the ass, always flat out broke, trouble finds its way to my doorstep far too often, my soul is so stained..."

I was so choked up with emotion, as if my heart would implode, that I couldn't interrupt her self-deprecating babble at first. At some point she grimaced, dismayed to find that she was running out of fingers to tally up her flaws. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. I kissed her. Just like that. I knew one day that move would come in handy ever since I witnessed Jenks pull it on Matalina.

"Shhh, don't talk about the woman I adore that way. First of all, I love you because despite being a 'pain in the ass', you've got the sexiest ass. Ever." That made her smile, her cheeks slightly reddening. "You have no idea how much it turns me on whenever you fight back with every word that comes out of that pretty little mouth, no matter how much you disagree with me or even insult me." She frowned and was about to fire a retort, but I stopped it with another kiss. "Please, let me finish."

I wrapped my fingers in her hair and stared at it, contemplating. Improvisation was her forte, not mine. I suppose it's never too late to try. It wasn't like I never thought about what I loved about her. In fact, back when we first started working together at the I.S., it used to annoy me so much that I couldn't figure out why she was always on my mind. Somehow exasperation evolved into fondness, and lust into love. I just never thought I'd get a chance to actually tell her.

I felt her staring at me with such intensity. It's a wonder how she managed to keep quiet as she waited for what I had to say next. With a deep inhalation to gather some momentum, I looked into her eyes.

"No matter how much you complain about it, I love your hair. I really do. Wild. Untamed. It's like it's on fire, much like the woman who exudes so much warmth and burns with so much passion." I gently ran my thumb across her lips. "And this, for all the snarky wise cracks, all the foul curses you've ever flung at, oh let's see, Trent." That earned a smirk. "Even though they've uttered curses that blemish the purity of your aura, they also say things with such incredible, even brutal honesty. And loyalty. Sweetness." I cupped her cheek. As she leaned into it and momentarily closed her eyes, I gently ran my thumb across her eyelid and whispered, "And these, they're so expressive. I can almost always read your mind just by watching your face and gazing into your eyes."

She rolled those very eyes at me, which glistened with unshed tears. "You do realize how sappy you're sounding, right?"

"Hey, I'm channeling my inner Shakespeare here," I snapped at her. Nerves, go figure. Softly, I added, "Do you wanna hear it or not?"

"Sorry." She grinned sheepishly. "Go on."

I knew she interrupted out of embarrassment, but I couldn't resist. I was on a roll, pouring out my heart to her at long last. It was amazing that I even found the courage to continue. I knew I had to, or else I would have lost my nerve. I _needed_ to tell her how I felt. It was now or never.

I searched her face and her eyes for a moment, and then trailed my fingers along her jaw, down the hollow of her throat, to just above her chest. Her heart pulsated faster against my hand. "And this... this is the best of all... Infants love to be held because they can hear your heartbeat, feel it drum rhythmically against them, comforting them. The same goes for vampires, Rachel. I can hear your heart beating wherever you may roam in the church, whether you're upstairs talking to Bis, fussing in the kitchen with your spell pots, humming in the garden as you gather some herbs, or even sleeping soundly on your bed. It's like... like a metronome that guides the piano in my mind as my soul renders a soulful ballad, a stormy concerto backed by a symphony, or a lovely duet with a saxophone. But more than that, your heart is like a cauldron that bubbles with so much loyalty, so much love... for your mom... for Jenks and his brood..." _For me_, I badly wanted to add. "And Kisten." Here I frowned. My own heart clenched with bitterness, whether out of jealousy or loss, I wasn't sure. "Even that undeserving crap for brains." Rachel snorted, and I couldn't help but smile.

"You really do have a heart of gold, Rachel. You could so easily damn the world. You could have easily defeated the coven and the fairies when they attacked the church, but you chose to give strangers, like Sara Jane, the benefit of the doubt. I'll never understand why you let Al go that time he attacked you and Rynn. Or how you can kick the crap out of a master vampire for making a badass like me cry like a baby, yet somehow you found it in your heart not to end his pathetic existence."

"A lot of good that did for me," she grumbled.

"You never give up on the people closest to you," I pressed on, "no matter how much you piss them off. At this rate, I could go on and on, so help me, Rachel, but when it comes down to it, no matter how much you drive me crazy, I'm simply crazy about you!"

The dam finally broke. Tears streamed down her face, and mine. Next thing I knew, the very warmth I had just described surrounded me. I clutched her to me just as fiercely. We stayed like that for who knows how long. Eyes closed, my chin against her shoulder, I listened to her heartbeat. At that moment, my heart sang a disgustingly cheesy love song.

Suddenly I felt her stir against me. I didn't want to pull back unless she did it first. Hugs between us were too rare, too precious, and - dare I say it - I was too chicken shit to find out what she had to say. I wanted to hold on for as long as I could before she decided that this was all too much to handle.

It was then that I realized that her hand was cradling my nape, which she started to massage with her fingertips. Slowly she drew back, her cheek hovering against mine. Her heartbeat echoed the thundering in my chest. No more words were spoken, just the sound of deep, shuddering breaths.

Her hand traveled from my neck to cup my cheek, while her other grazed down to the small of my back. I was so afraid to move, and I think I stopped breathing. I must have, because right then I felt dizzy when her lips brushed my cheek so softly I thought I had imagined it. Then I felt her eyelids flutter against the side of my face, right before I felt her lips against the corner of my lips. Her hot breath sent a tide of shivers that surged, swelled, crested, and crashed in waves to the top of my head and the tips of my fingers and toes. I was so terrified to move even one tiny muscle, loathe to wake up from what could have been a cruel and heartbreaking dream. She must have sensed it, because her hand squeezed my cheek slightly just as her lips finally brushed along the length of mine, and that's all it took.

I clutched her tighter to me as my mouth claimed hers with a whimper. Her long drawn out moan nearly brought me to my knees. My stomach fluttered and heat flared up in my chest. Somehow, even with all the pent up longing that threatened to burst from my every pore, I was content to simply rub my lips languidly against hers, nibbling on them gently, teasing them into submission till all she could do was moan into my mouth and claw at my sides... my back... my shoulders. Her tongue brushed against my lips, seeking the entrance I denied her. I didn't want to just yet. I wanted to make love to her lips, the way I had always dreamed of, for just a moment longer. I wanted to worship them thoroughly just as I craved to worship her body.

Finally, I plundered her mouth, my tongue wrapping around hers in a dance. Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" blasted inside my mind, and I felt like I was standing - no, floating - outside with Fourth of July fireworks booming in the background. Every kiss ignited a firecracker that skyrocketed and whistled, with sparks flaring till they exploded into a myriad of colors shimmering across the sky. Still, her moans and sighs reverberated loudly through the haze, nearly drowning out all the pyrotechnics.

Chests heaving, we surfaced for air at last. Her eyes were smoky, heavy lidded. Her lips glistened and reddened. I watched her tongue dart out to moisten them while her chest rose and fell, and I would have lost control if she hadn't placed her palm above my heart.

"Ivy."

I swelled with pride when all she could say was my name like a mantra every so often. I watched as confusion, wonder, and desire washed across her face, watched her grasping for something coherent to say.

"Ivy," she tried again, "that's... that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. I... Thank you. I... I don't know what to say."

"I think that kiss more or less told me enough." I chuckled breathlessly, still dazed. "Wow."

"Yeah. Wow." A goofy smile crossed her face, and I melted even more, if that was even possible. "Um... I... Can we do that again?"

"Dear heart, you don't ever need to ask."

What happened after that was lost in a fog of caresses, desperate touches, and more kisses... a flurry of clothes flung all over the place... the poor bed springs creaking and the headboard thumping against the wall.

Maybe, just maybe, I couldn't sleep with all those sounds and images gloriously replaying a gajillion-billion-zillion times. Whoa, I don't think I've ever used that before. It's all Rachel's fault. It's her fault that I can't sleep. It's her fault that I can't stop thinking about her, about us, about _that_. And all the moans, groans, sighs and whimpers. Giggles. Whispers of love and affection. Lots of screaming.

I'm surprised Jenks didn't yell outside the door, banging his tiny fists against it as if that would stop the commotion, ha! I'm sure he can't wait to get his shining moment to harass the hell out of us.

Maybe I should lock Rachel up and chain her to the bed, have my way with her, or let her have her way with me. I'm all for equal opportunity in the bedroom... or the bathtub... the hallway… the floor… the couch… the pool table… the kitchen, definitely doing Rachel in the kitchen... the hood of her car… and my motorcycle, oh hell yes!

Rachel.

My beautiful Rachel.

My sweet, annoying, trouble-prone witch. All mine. The way it was meant to be.

My arms tightened around her gently with a deep and satisfied sigh. I pressed the side of my face against her chest to listen to her heartbeat, its cadence slow and soothing like a lullaby. My eyes slowly fluttered with every beat, lulling me to a blissful, peaceful sleep.

FIN

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><p>AN: Thanks for reading! And thanks in advance for any feedback you might leave behind. =) Constructive feedback welcome.

Not the first story I've ever written, but definitely my first Hollows fic. There's not enough Ravy, so I felt compelled to write something! I've wanted to write again after a 2-3 year hiatus. Mostly I've written for a silly little all-girl spy spoof movie called D.E.B.S. at the All Things Debs forum, a.k.a. ATD. *Shameless plug* You can find my stuff at larceny. allthingsdeb . yuku . com (as usual, take out the extra spaces).

I feel like I caught on to the Hollows series so late and missed the glory years when people still hemmed and hawed over the series, before KH started breaking our hearts by widening the gap between Ivy and Rachel. Fanfic is such a wonderful way to get such beloved characters to say the things we wish they'd say, do the things we wish they'd do, and last but not least, have them do each other already! Tee hee. Speaking of which, I'm known for le steamy at ATD, so hmm, maybe I could be persuaded to write a little sumthin sumthin over here, hmm? ;)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my humble fic. I didn't realize my first would end up being sappy. I was actually shooting for a comedy! I guess that's what happens when one wakes up at 3:30 AM and can't go back to sleep. Hopefully, no one fell asleep. Speaking of which, I should really go to bed... and dream of Ravy. XD


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